Almeda Theatre

5614 Almeda Boulevard,

Houston,
TX77004

David Welling’s Cinema Houston attributes the design of the Almeda Theatre to the firm of MacKie & Kamrath. The Karl Kamrath Collection at the University of Texas, Austin, has one drawing of the Almeda Theatre, but the Interstate Theatre Collection at the Dallas Public Library has 13 sheets of plans for the Almeda, attributed to architects Raymond F. Smith of Dallas J. W. Denhart of Houston.

It’s possible that both firms worked on this house. I can’t find anything else about J. W. Denhart. Perhaps he worked in MacKie & Kamrath’s office? Maybe somebody in Texas can check the collections, especially the Interstate Collection, and see if they give any clues.

The first 10 years of my life, 1939 to 49', I lived in the Almeda area of Houston, TX. and went to the above mentioned theater many times. Once and a while we would also frequent the Delman on Main Street. But there was a third theater in that same area that my brother & I would ride our bikes to. We liked going there because it specialized in films geared to kids. You know, the B westerns, Kids dog pictures, Tarzan and Bomba etc. It always played double features so we could spend the entire afternoon there. I remember it changed programs 3 or 4 times a week. I think it closed in the early 1950’s. It wasn’t the Holman. Can anyone remember?

The Almeda should be updated to “demolished”. A dialysis center, a check cashing service, a thrift shop, and an abandoned service station occupy the 5600 block of Almeda Road. The architectural firm for the Almeda was the Houston firm of MacKie and Kamrath.

The Almeda opened on August 9, 1940. The premier feature was “Road to Singapore” with Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour. The Cliff Drescher Cowboy Band was slated to play in front of the theater. The Almeda’s first manager was Tom A. Howell.

This theatre has long been gone. It became a Fred Astaire Dance Studio in the middle 1950’s. But I remember it as a theatre when I was a young boy in the 1940’s. I think the first film I remember was MY PAL TRIGGER in 46'. I was 6 years old. My mother & father loved to go to the movies in those days before television and many times would take my brother & I along. We all liked westerns and comedies. And the place was always busy. We loved THE PALEFACE in 48'. The theatre was part of the Interstate Circuit Inc out of Dallas. Every Saturday morning, my brother & I would go to the kids show and it was always full of kids. Great times.